Method and device for changing the direction of motion of articles

ABSTRACT

Method for changing the direction of forward motion of oblong objects and for transferring said objects from a first conveyor on which they are carried in a substantially horizontal first direction in &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;end-to-end&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; relation to a second conveyor which takes said objects &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;side-by-side&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; in a second direction which is also horizontal but substantially at right angles to the first, comprising the step of communicating an upwardly directed impulse to said objects at the end of their travel in the first direction in order that they may be upwardly inclined at a small angle and caused to follow a ballistic trajectory and then to fall back onto the second conveyor under the action of their own weight.

United States Patent Prigent 1 1 Feb. 15, 1972 [54] METHOD AND DEVICE FOR 1,774,047 8/1930 Wharton ..l98/l03 X CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF 2,782,734 2/1957 Nichols ..l98/20 UX MOTION 0F ARTICLES FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 72 Inventor: Claude Prigent, Pantm, Fr n v 458,305 7/1949 Canada ..l98/l03 [73] Assignee: Service dExploitation lndustrielle des Tabacs et des Allumettes, Paris, France Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka Filed g 22 1969 Att0rneySparrow&Sparrow [21] Appl. No.: 852,281 [57] ABSTRACT Method for changing the direction of forward motion of [30] Foreign Application Priority Data oblong objects and for transferring said objects from a first conveyor on which they are carried in a substantially horizon- Aug. 23, France first di io in uend to endn relation to a Second con veyor which takes said objects side-by-side in a second [if] "HS/2:651 direction which is also horizontal but substantially at right d 1 103 gles to the first, comprising the step of communicating an upe o are 198733 wardly directed impulse to said objects at the end of their travel in the first direction in order that they may be upwardly inclined at a small angle and caused to follow a ballistic trajec- [56] Reerems cued tory and then to fall back onto the second conveyor under the UNITED STATES PATENTS action of their own weight.

746,507 12/1903 l-lenner ..l98/ 102 X 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB15 I972 3. 642.1 15

sum 1 or 3 INveNToR PATENTEDFEB 15 m2 33421 15 sum 3 or 3 I 73 a SPavt-ou ATTO 9- e y METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF MOTION OF ARTICLES During the course of large-scale production or packaging of articles of any type, manufacturers are frequently faced with the need to subject such articles to changes of orientation between two stages of continuous processing. This holds particularlytrue in the case of objects having widely different measurements from one main dimension to another dimension which is at right angles to the firs and when it is consequently preferable to transfer such objects during successive stages either in end-to-end relation, namely in the direction of their longest dimension, or in side-by-side relation, that is to say at right angles to this dimension. (It must be understood that the terms end-to-end" and side-by-side are used by way of illustration and do not in any sense exclude the possibility of providing an interval of fixed or variable length between two successive objects).

The technique just referred to applies to a wide range of articlessuch as cigars, some types of cigar or cigarette packs, groups formed from a number of these latter as well as a large number of objects of very different types which nevertheless bear a relation to those just mentioned by virtue of their low density and dimensional constancy.

This invention has for its object a method for changing the direction of forward motion of oblong objects and for transferring said objects from a first conveyor on which they are carried in a substantially horizontal first direction in end-toend relation to a second conveyor which takes said objects side-by-side in a second direction which is also horizontal but substantially at right angles to the first. The method is characterized in that an upwardly directed impulse is communicated to said objects at the end of their travel in the first direction in order that they may be upwardly inclined at a small angle and caused to follow a ballistic trajectory and then to fall back onto the second conveyor under the action of their own weight.

In order that the object should fall back in a completely horizontal position, a braking action having a downwardly directed component can advantageously be imparted to said objects on their ballistic trajectory and in principle substantially at the summit of said trajectory.

In the case in which the objects fall back in a slightly oblique position on the second conveyor, it is also possible to subject that portion of the object which has remained upstream to a horizontal impulse applied in said second direction so as to permit suitable alignment of said object on said second conveyor.

The invention is also directed to a device for carrying out the method referred to above. Said device essentially comprises a fixed obstacle such as a roller which projects to a slight extent with respect to the level of the first conveyor and is located exactly at the end of the useful path of said conveyor and a first movable member located upstream of said fixed obstacle and so arranged as to be lifted to a slight extent as the objects pass while being maintained applied against the downstream portion of said objects when the upstream'portion thereof encounters the fixed obstacle.

Said movable member can be constituted by a pivotal arm which carries a roller train, the axes of the rollers being located in a plane which is slightly inclined with respect to the level of the first conveyor.

The device can comprise a second movable member such as a blade which is pivoted at one extremity and located on the path followed by the objects downstream of the first conveyor and above the second conveyor, said second movable member being adapted to produce a braking action having a downwardly directed component.

The device can additionally comprise means located in the zone of falling of objects onto the second conveyor and on each side of the centerline of this latter, said means being adapted to subject the objects which rest on said second conveyor to a horizontal impulse which is applied in the direction of motion of said conveyor. Said means can consist of wheels provided with flexible. vanes or tongues. One example of application of the invention to the transfer of cigars will now be described by way of illustration of the method and device employed without thereby implying any limitation in the general scope of the invention. This example will be given with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the zone of junction of two conveyors on which cigars are brought end-to-end on one conveyor and carried away side-by-side on the other conveyor;

FIG. 2 is a part sectional view taken along the chain-dotted line ab-bcca'-of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-*III of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 4 is a detailed view on a larger scale and in cross section along line IV-IV of FIG. 2. For the sake of enhanced clarity, it has been assumed in some of these drawings that small components have been removed, this being the case of the moving systems 25 to 31 and 34 which are not shown in FIG. 1.

In all cases, the letters B designate the frames of the conveyors .and the letter C (FIG. 2) designates the cigars which are being conveyed.

The V-type conveying belt 21 is designed to move at a relatively high speed in the direction of the arrow f. The belt is driven by the grooved pulley 22 and returned to the cigar feed point by means of a similar pulley 23. The level of the carrying run of the belt 21 must be determined with accuracy and it is therefore preferable to ensure that the bearing which carries said pulley is secured to the downstream frame, the axis of said bearing being immovably fixed with respect to said frame. On the contrary, the pulley 23 can readily be mounted so that the tension of the belt 21 can be adjusted. The reference numeral 24 designates the retaining sides which are intended to prevent any possibility of accidental falling of products during transportation. The retaining sides 24 are mounted on the spacer members B which join the frame of the upstream machine to the frame 13 of the downstream conveyor and extend beyond B to form two support brackets which are also braced by the members 33, 35, and 36, a yoke 28 being mounted astride said brackets and lined on the conveying belt side with a pad 29 of elastic material.

Between the retaining sides 24 and mounted above the entire final zone of the carrying run of the conveying belt 21, there is shown a moving system having a frame consisting of two parallel arms 25 in fixed relation and mounted in overhung position on their pivot pin 26, said pin being in turn carried by the retaining sides 24. The angular displacement of said two arms which are normally actuated as a result of the weight of the moving system as a whole is limited in the downward direction by a cross pin 27 which normally rests on the bottom of two elongated slots of the retaining sides 24. The upward angular displacement of said arms is in turn limited by the elastic pad 29 of the yoke 28. Four identical rollers 30 are carried between the two arms 25 and are mounted to rotate freely on the shafts 31, the axes of which are located in the same plane. The relative level of the members 26 (articulation of the moving system) and 27 (cross pin for the abutment of said moving system in the rest position) is such that the distance between the rollers 30 and the top face of the conveying belt 21 decreases from the upstream to the downstream end when the moving system is in the bottom position. The distance between the upstream roller and the top or outer face of the conveying belt is in this case very slightly smaller than the diameter of a cigar C (or the width of one side in the event of transfer of square section cigars). The moving system as a whole is of sufficiently light weight to ensure that the lifting motion of this latter takes place without difficulty when a cigar is passing; however, it is apparent from FIG. 2 that the distance between the rollers 30 and the pivot pin 26 or axis of rotation of the arms 25 is sufficiently great to ensure that action is produced continuously on said rollers and that these latter never move away from their rest position to any unnecessary extent. It will also be notedthat the axis of the roller 30 which is placed last or furthest downstream in the direction of transfer is located substantially in the same vertical plane as the axis of the driving pulley 22 and that beyond said plane the level of the top face of the carrying run of the conveying belt 21 passes below the horizontal or in other words that this plane marks the end of the effective carrying function ofthe belt.

The overhung end portion of the retaining sides 24 between the vertical plane defined above and the plane which is determined by the outer face of the conveying belt 21 from the pulley 22 to the pulley 23 is also adapted to carry the shafts 22 to the pulley 23 is also adapted to carry the shafts 33 and 35 as well as the small member 36 which is located at a short distance beyond these latter. A roller 32 is mounted for free rotational motion on the shaft 33 and the diameter of said roller must be determined with precision. In fact, the top generator line of this roller must be located at a slightly higher level than that of the outer face of the conveying belt 21 in the useful horizontal run of this latter whereas one of the generator lines which are determined by the plane passing through the axis of the roller 32 and the axis of the pulley 22 is as near as possible to the outer face of the conveying belt 21 in this same plane without actually coming into contact with said belt. This arrangement can readily be achieved by setting the last plane hereinabove defined at an angle, of 45 to the horizontal.

A light-shaped blade which is given the reference 34 is also mounted for free pivotal motion on the shaft 35. Under the action of its own weight said blade rests on the spacer member 36 which serves as a bottom stop. As in the case of the moving system which is carried by the two arms 25, the dimensions and the weight of the blade 34 will be so determined that this latter readily lifts as a cigar is passing but always remains in contact therewith and urges this latter downwards. Depending on the characteristics of the cigars being conveyed or on the speed of the belt 21 as a function of the delivery, it would also be possible to modify the weight and even the shape of the blade 34 without any difficulty.

The reception of cigars is carried out by the assembly which is illustrated on the left-hand side of FIG. 2 and carried by the plate B which is in turn rigidly fixed to the upright members B of the downstream conveyor. This conveyor essentially comprises the three flat and parallel endless belts 41, the carrying runs of which are located at right angles to the corresponding direction of the V-belt 21. in FIG. 2, the useful path or carrying run of said belts are located from front to rear of the planes of projection; the carrying runs of said belts are located substantially at the same level as the horizontal outer face of the belt 21 and although the thickness of the belts 41 has been slightly exaggerated for the sake of clarity of the drawings and thus appears to indicate that said belts are located at a higher level, this is not so in actual fact. Nevertheless, a relative displacement of levels of the two types of belt either in one direction or in the other may prove advantageous in the case of running speeds of the belt 21 which differ to an appreciable extent from those which are normally contemplated.

The driving portion of the downstream conveyor is controlled by the horizontal shaft 37. This shaft rotates in the two bearings 38 which are carried by the plane B and transmits motion in the overhung portion thereof to three-driving rollers 40 and two vane wheels 43 which are interposed between these latter. It should be noted that the extremity of the shaft 37 is located in very close proximity to the vertical plane which contains the outer face of the belt 21 between the pulleys 22 and 23 and that the axis of said shaft is in turn located in a plane which is very close to the central plane of said belt but slightly set back with respect to the direction of forward motion of the conveyor as constituted by the belts 41. In consequence, the cigars which are driven forward by the belt 21 will come into contact with the belts 41 on a flat surface. A notched bar 44 which is joined to the plate 8;; by means of a curved sheet metal member 45 of substantial thickness which forms a safety casing will in any case prevent any rearward dischargeofa cigar, which is badly oriented.

The three-driving rollers 40 which transmit motion to the belts 41 have an outer surface which is very slightly knurled in order to ensure good adhesion. The shaft 37 is. driven by means of a plate 39 which is mounted against a sprocket wheel and to which motion is transmitted by a reduction gear motor (not shown in the drawings). The two wheels 42 which are carried by the shaft 37 are provided with relatively flexible vanes or tongues 43 of small thickness. Said vanes which are set in the wheels 42 must be provided in sets of two, three or four vanes per wheel but always in pairs in the same plane on both wheels 42. The apparent radius of said wheels is such that, in the top position of the vanes, these latter pass to an appreciable distance beyond the top level of the conveying belts 21 (namely to a distance which is substantially equal to the diameter or to the width of one side ofa cigar C), thereby entailing the need for the notches which are formed in the retaining bar 44.

The operation of this transfer assembly is as follows: a cigar C which is fed in by the V-belt 21 at a relatively high speed (by way of example, this speed can vary according to the rates of delivery from a few decimeters per second to more than 1 meter per second) will successively encounter all the rollers 30, thus progressively causing the arms 25 to move upwards to the vicinity of the horizontal. By then coming into contact with the roller 32, the front end of the cigar will receive an upwardly directed impulse whilst the body of the cigar continues to be maintained by the roller 30 which is located furthest downstream and will assume an upward inclination through an angle of a few degrees, this inclination being in any case limited by the action of the elastic stop 29. The weight of the moving system will be such that the adhesion of the cigar C to the belt 21 will be maintained until the rear end of the cigar C has left the conveying belt.

At this moment, more than one-half of the cigar body will have passed beyond the level of the free motion roller 32 and the front end will have encountered the movable blades 34 and lifted this latter to a slight extent. It would be understood that, by virtue of the speed imparted thereto, the cigar will continue on its path while being braked and held down in the central portion thereof which, at the summit of the ballistic curve, will alone remain in contact with the blade 34 by virtue of the incurved shape of this latter.

The cigar will then move down towards the flat conveying belts 41 practically in the horizontal position. However, by reason of fortuitous and unpredictable circumstances which arise for the most part from variations in coefficient of friction which in turn result from difference in moisture content, it will be apparent that a cigar C may fall onto the belts 41 in a slightly oblique position. It will be assumed that a cigar which falls in this manner first reaches the belt which is furthest away from the roller 32 (namely the roller which is nearest the bearing 38). Although the speed of the flat belt conveyor is appreciably lower than that of the V-belt conveyor, this speed will nevertheless be sufiiciently high to cause the font end of the cigar to move forward initially to a substantially greater extent than the rear end. If no provision were made for the wheels 42, this oblique position might easily be. amplified. However, it should be noted thatin this case the first tongue 43 to be encountered by the cigar will be located nearest to the roller 32. The rear end of the cigar will accordingly receive an impulse which enables this latter to catch up with the front end and normal transfer will thus be restored.

The tongues 43 are sufficiently flexible to avoid causing any damage to a cigar which might accidentally strike them edgewise. Said tongues can also facilitate the initial motion of the cigar which exhibits a tendency to slip on the belts 41 even to roll without moving forward, which may frequently occur in the case of cylindrical objects. The tongue would then encounter this cigar without fail before another comes into position and the thrust exerted on said cigar would be sufficient to initiate the motion of this latter under good conditions.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for changing the direction of forward motion of oblong objects and for transferring said objects from a first conveyor on which they are carried in a substantially horizontal first direction in end-to-end relation to a second conveyor which takes said objects side-by-side" in a second direction which is also horizontal but substantially at right angles to the first, comprising a fixed obstacle which projects to a slight extent with respect to the level of the first conveyor and is located exactly at the end of the useful path of said conveyor and a first movable member located upstream of said fixed obstacle and so arranged as to be lifted to a slight extent as the objects pass while being maintained applied against the downstream portion of said objects when the upstream portion thereof encounters said fixed obstacle.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable member is constituted by a pivotal arm which carries a train of rollers whose axes are located in a plane which is slightly inclined with respect to the level of the first conveyor.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a second movable member located on the path followed by the objects downstream of the first conveyor and above the second conveyor, said second movable member being adapted to produce a braking action having a downwardly directed component.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means located in the zone of falling objects onto the second conveyor and on each side of the centerline of said conveyor said means being adapted to subject the objects which rest on said second conveyor to a horizontal impulse which is applied in the direction of motion of said conveyor.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said means for imparting a horizontal impulse are constituted by wheels provided with flexible vanes.

6. A method for changing the direction of forward motion of oblong objects and for transferring said objects from a first conveyor on which they are carried in a substantially horizontal first direction in end-to-end relation to a second conveyor which takes said objects side-by-side in a second direction which is also horizontal but substantially at right angle to the first; said method comprising the steps of imparting an upwardly directed impulse to said objects at the end of their travel in said first direction to upwardly incline said objects at a small angle, causing said objects to fly freely in a ballistic trajectory, to drop said objects subsequently onto said second conveyor under the action of their own weight, and further comprising the step at the instant at which said objects drop in a slightly oblique position on said second conveyor, of subjecting that portion of the object which as remained upstream to a horizontal impulse applied in said second direction providing a suitable alignment of said object on said second conveyor. 

1. A device for changing the direction of forward motion of oblong objects and for transferring said objects from a first conveyor on which they are carried in a substantially horizontal first direction in ''''end-to-end'''' relation to a second conveyor which takes said objects ''''side-by-side'''' in a second direction which is also horizontal but substantially at right angles to the first, comprising a fixed obstacle which projects to a slight extent with respect to the level of the first conveyor and is located exactly at the end of the useful path of said conveyor and a first movable member located upstream of said fixed obstacle and so arranged as to be lifted to a slight extent as the objects pass while being maintained applied against the downstream portion of said objects when the upstream portion thereof encounters said fixed obstacle.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable member is constituted by a pivotal arm which carries a train of rollers whose axes are located in a plane which is slightly inclined with respect to the level of the first conveyor.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a second movable member located on the path followed by the objects downstream of the first conveyor and above the second conveyor, said second movable member being adapted to produce a braking action having a downwardly directed component.
 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means locaTed in the zone of falling objects onto the second conveyor and on each side of the centerline of said conveyor said means being adapted to subject the objects which rest on said second conveyor to a horizontal impulse which is applied in the direction of motion of said conveyor.
 5. A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said means for imparting a horizontal impulse are constituted by wheels provided with flexible vanes.
 6. A method for changing the direction of forward motion of oblong objects and for transferring said objects from a first conveyor on which they are carried in a substantially horizontal first direction in ''''end-to-end'''' relation to a second conveyor which takes said objects ''''side-by-side'''' in a second direction which is also horizontal but substantially at right angle to the first; said method comprising the steps of imparting an upwardly directed impulse to said objects at the end of their travel in said first direction to upwardly incline said objects at a small angle, causing said objects to fly freely in a ballistic trajectory, to drop said objects subsequently onto said second conveyor under the action of their own weight, and further comprising the step at the instant at which said objects drop in a slightly oblique position on said second conveyor, of subjecting that portion of the object which as remained upstream to a horizontal impulse applied in said second direction providing a suitable alignment of said object on said second conveyor. 